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Dagger of the Mind (episode)
A routine visit to the Tantalus Penal Colony proves dangerous for Kirk and an ''Enterprise'' psychiatrist. Summary While on a routine visit to the Tantalus Penal Colony, the Enterprise takes on a stowaway, the violently insane Doctor Simon Van Gelder, former associate of Tantalus administrator Doctor Tristan Adams. Required by regulations to investigate Van Gelder's injury, Kirk visits the colony with psychiatrist Doctor Helen Noel. Adams tells them Van Gelder injured his mind by misusing an experimental therapy device, the neural neutralizer. On board the Enterprise, Spock and McCoy continue to investigate Van Gelder, whose ravings are difficult to decipher. Spock is forced to employ an ancient technique, the Vulcan mind meld, to learn the truth Van Gelder cannot speak aloud. He learns that Adams has been experimenting on various individuals, including Van Gelder. At the colony, Kirk and Noel investigate the neural neutralizer privately. Kirk wants first hand experience with the device. With Kirk in the treatment chair, Noel implants some simple suggestions. They learn the device is far more effective than Adams had led them to believe, but this knowledge comes too late: Adams surprises them, immobilizes Noel, and begins using the device to condition Kirk. Fighting off the suggestions placed in his mind by Adams, Kirk dispatches Noel through the air conditioning ducts, in the hope she can find the power controls and deactivate the security force field. That field protects the facility, and prevents transporters from operating in it. Noel manages to deactivate the field long enough for Spock and a security force to beam down and secure the colony. In an ironic twist, Dr. Adams dies of exposure to the neural neutralizer. Dr. Van Gelder is cured, and resumes his responsibilities at the colony. He also dismantles and destroyes the neural neutralizer equipment. Log Entries *''Captain’s log, stardate 2715.1. Exchanged cargo with penal colony on Tantalus 5, have departed without going ashore.” *''Captain’s log, stardate 2715.2. Standard orbit… planet: Tantalus 5… mission: routine investigation and report as per ship’s surgeon medical log. As for my last entry, it seems that I will get to meet Dr. Adams at last, however I would prefer other circumstances.'' *''Enterprise log, first officer Spock acting captain. I must now use an ancient Vulcan technique to probe into Van Gelder’s tortured mind.'' Memorable Quotes "Interesting. You Earth people glorify organized violence for forty centuries. But you imprison those who employ it privately." :- Spock "You begin to feel a strange euphoria... your body seems to float..." "Yes..." "Open your mind; we float together... each of us sharing the same thoughts..." :- Spock beginning the mind-meld technique on VanGelder Background Information * "Dagger of the Mind" marked the first appearance of the Vulcan mind meld. * The first draft for this episode's script was turned in on . The final draft was turned in 30 July, and the revised final draft turned in 5 August, with further revised pages dated 6 and 8 August. * This episode is mentioned as taking place after a Christmas party in the science labs. This is one of the few times a religious holiday is mentioned in the Star Trek future. Christmas in particular was never heard of again until Star Trek: Generations, although Eleen having a child in a cave in "Friday's Child" in that Christmas-month broadcast may not have been a coincidence. It is also important to note that the surname of the character who mentions this Christmas party to Kirk is (Helen) "Noel", which means Christmas in French. * Writer S. Bar-David is a pen name for Shimon Wincelberg. He incorporated several references to Jewish parables into the screenplay. * The part of Helen Noel was originally written for Grace Lee Whitney's character Janice Rand; however, producers wanted to avoid showing Kirk becoming involved with her, and Grace Lee Whitney was already on the verge of leaving the show due to personal problems on the set. * The title of this episode is taken from a line of Shakespeare's play, Macbeth. Macbeth is preparing to murder his king's children, and sees a dagger that he attempts to grasp, only to discover it is a figment of his imagination. The relevant passage from the soliloquy reads: ::Is this a dagger which I see before me ::''The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. ::''I have thee not, and yet I see thee still ::''Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible ::''To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but ::''A dagger of the mind, a false creation ::''Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain? * The name Lethe is a reference to the River of Forgetfulness in Greek mythology. * The box beamed up from Tantalus in which Van Gelder is hiding is labeled "Bureau of Penology, Stockholm, Eurasia-NE." ::This may indicate that in the 23rd Century, independent nations will no longer exist on Earth. * The wall behind the transporter console has been replaced with a panel from Engineering in this episode. This is so the transporter operator can be distracted by checking the instruments as Van Gelder emerges from the box that's on the pad. * When Fields calls the bridge to report sighting Van Gelder in the corridor, the sign on the wall next to him says "Personnel Director." Another sign in the corridor can be seen to say "Science Library" while one with an arrow points to "Briefing Room." * The chair used in the neural neutralizer room would later be re-used by Garth in "Whom Gods Destroy". * The matte painting for "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is recycled here, with the towers on the fuel bins painted out and a different doorway added. * The shot of the Enterprise miniature heading back to Tantalus at the beginning of Act 2 is not used in any other episode. * James Doohan (Scotty) and George Takei (Sulu) do not appear in this episode. * This was the final episode solely produced by Gene Roddenberry. * This episode was spoofed in the South Park second season episode Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods. It involved a neural neutralizer-like device in a planetarium which controls the minds of unwilling victims (complete with Star Trek sound effects) and a mind meld was used to determine the plot. The episode concludes with the villain being left in the planetarium with the device turned on but no one making suggestions emptying his mind, identical to the events in the TOS episode. * Continunity error-Kirk knocks both Adams & his assistant Eli down in the neural treatment room-yet only Adams is affected by the beam. This could be due to Eli already somewhat drained (like a mindless zombie) from the machine when Kirk first saw him. * The treatment smock worn by Adams has the same insignia as Dr. Cory in "Whom Gods Destroy". * The final shooting draft of this script strangely indicates that Spock places his hands on Van Gelder's abdomen while performing the mind meld. * A shipping label produced for Star Trek: Deep Space 9 shows that a (now elderly) Dr. Van Gelder is still in charge of the Tantalus Penal Colony in the 2370s. * This episode is available on VHS through Amazon under ISBN 6300213153. Links and References Regular Cast * William Shatner as Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as McCoy * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura Guest Stars * James Gregory as Tristan Adams * Marianna Hill as Helen Noel * Morgan Woodward as Simon Van Gelder * Larry Anthony as Berkeley * Susanne Wasson as Lethe * John Arndt as Fields * Eli Behar as Eli * Walt Davis as a Tantalus therapist * Lou Elias as electrocuted Inmate Guard * Ed McCready as a Tantalus inmate * Eddie Paskey as Leslie (uncredited) * Frank da Vinci as Vinci (uncredited) * Irene Sale as Noel's stunt double References Central Bureau of Penology; general quarters; general quarters 3; infra-sensory drugs; hyperpower circuitry; neural neutralizer; penal colony; schizophrenia; Stockholm; Tantalus V; Tantalus colony External Links * Dagger of the Mind article at the Non-Canon Star Trek Wiki Category:TOS episodes de:Der Zentralnervensystemmanipulator es:Dagger of the Mind fr:Dagger of the Mind nl:Dagger of the Mind sv:Dagger of the Mind